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Date:   Fri, 18 Sep 1998 08:38:02 -0500
Reply-To:   Chris Helvey <chris@TURNERGROUP.COM>
Sender:   Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:   Chris Helvey <chris@TURNERGROUP.COM>
Subject:   Re: Safety and cost
Comments:   To: "vanagon@vanagon.com" <vanagon@vanagon.com>
Content-Type:   text/plain

I agree. It also points out that with the extra costs in manufacturing this equipment, the price tag goes up, squandering one of the original purposes of the Peoples Car - a reliable, simple, and VERY affordable automobile. There is still not such a critter on the market today - even with the re-introduction of the Beetle.

> -----Original Message----- > From: Don Gibbons [SMTP:dgibbons@presray.com] > Sent: Thursday, September 17, 1998 4:23 PM > To: Vanagon@vanagon.com > Subject: Safety and cost > > Lots of talk today on DRL's and air bags and other safety features on > our VW's. > > DRL's are not free. They cost energy to run. Someday the God of > Thermodynamics > will come down and say: "Thou shalt not use more energy then you find" > We live > on a finite and slightly damp hunk of rock. When the oil runs out what > will we > do? Instead of just the knee-jerk reaction that if its "safer its > better" at > any cost, they (we) should consider a more long term solution like > driver > education. > > Air bags are, at the moment, very complicated. Do race cars use them? > Do our > most advanced aircraft use them? No and no. They depend on a harness > system that > is almost utterly failproof. As long as its put on properly it works. > A few > seconds of a racers or fighter pilots time saves thousands of $ and > works better > then air bags. We don't have them in cars because we are too lazy to > use them > and don't want to be reminded how dangerious cars are. The general > public > "wants" an invisible and automatic safety system and the automakers > have > provided them with an expensive system that is not appropriate for > mass everday > use in cars. How many drivers will stop driving their cars because the > airbag > failure light is on and it will take $1,500 to fix? > > The old Beetle (or bus) had 2 electric motors, one for the starter and > one for > the wipers. > The new Beetle has at least 8 and as many as 13. Probably more. And > airbags. > They (we) have forgotten that all these gagets not only cost money to > buy but > also consumes irreplacable natural resourses to make. And recycling > has not yet > become effective enough to fix it. > > The now common safety cage and deformable safety zone construction > cost little > in materials or energy. Ideas like that are what we need today, not > another > computerized or electric gizmo.


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